Health Insurance and Divorce

How will a divorce affect your health insurance coverage? During marriage, it’s common for one spouse to maintain health coverage for the entire family through his or her group health insurance plan at work. After a divorce, coverage for the other spouse and the children could terminate. State and federal laws offer protection to families in danger of losing health-care coverage, especially to children. But it’s important to re-examine your family’s health insurance situation before a divorce occurs to avoid serious complications afterward.

Health insurance coverage can be included in a divorce settlement

Because health coverage is such an important benefit, some divorce decrees stipulate that a spouse who provided health coverage for the other spouse or family during the marriage must continue to provide such coverage following a divorce. This is especially true if the other spouse didn’t work outside the home and has no immediate access to health insurance. Neither an insurer nor an employer can deny such court-ordered coverage when children are involved.

If you’re the spouse who carries the health coverage, you may have to pay additional premiums to continue coverage for your ex-spouse and your children, depending on the policy provisions. Some group policies will routinely allow you to continue full coverage for your family even after your divorce. Of course, this may change if you later remarry and want to include your new family on your policy. In any case, the premium for a group family plan may be less expensive than single coverage for two adults.

If your family has individual health insurance

If the issue of health insurance is not included in your divorce settlement, you’ll need to do some scrambling around if your ex-spouse is the insured on the family’s individual health insurance policy. It’s very possible that the coverage provided to you and your children could be terminated. Talk to your insurance agent to determine if you’re still covered, and for how long. If you’re still included in the policy, find out how much the premiums will be over the next 6 to 12 months. Also, begin looking into new health insurance for you and your children.

Secure health coverage for your children

Hopefully, you and your former spouse can work out an agreement regarding health coverage for your children. The child support section of the divorce agreement assigns responsibility for providing the children’s health insurance. But if the noncustodial parent or that parent’s insurance company or employer refuses to cooperate, federal law provides for a court order that secures your children’s continued health insurance coverage. This court order, known as a Qualified Medical Child Support Order (QMCSO), stipulates that custodial parents have the right to obtain health insurance coverage for their children through the noncustodial parent’s group health plan, if the noncustodial parent has such coverage. The children can’t be denied access to the plan, although limitations can be placed on the coverage. The order will not require the plan to provide additional benefits not actually offered in the plan.

Temporary coverage through your former spouse’s employer

Temporary protection may be available through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). You may (at your own expense) continue this group coverage for up to 36 months after the divorce or legal separation.

Several states have enacted their own laws that preserve a spouse’s eligibility for health insurance after a separation or divorce. Some of these laws may provide you with rights more generous than those offered under COBRA, so check your state’s laws first. Ask your divorce attorney or contact your state insurance commissioner’s office.

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About Catherine Allen

With over 28 years of experience in the financial industry, Catherine is deeply compassionate and is driven to educate and empower people to make informed decisions in their financial lives. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM Practitioner trained to develop and implement comprehensive financial plans for individuals, businesses, and organizations. Catherine believes a financial plan is not just a snapshot but instead a moving picture that needs constant reviewing and tweaking to keep it on track.
You can reach Catherine at catherine.allen@lpl.com, or by calling 856-810-7701. Securities offered through LPL Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC. LPL Financial

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